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TES Class Reviews – Winter Term

This term our reviewers at school have been very busy reviewing four books for the TES Class Review feature. You can read reviews of all the books they have reviewed on their website.

Dotty Detective – Clara Vulliamy

Our year 2/3 Chatterbooks group reviewed two books. The first group Grace, Leon, Emily and Evie reviewed ‘Dotty Detective’ by Clara Vulliamy – who visited our school earlier this year.

I like this book because Dotty just got to her new house and started school. On her table there was Amy Trotter, Frankie Logan, Dot, Beans and Laura Drew, a grumpy one. What I really like about this story is there wasn’t one mystery but three mysteries and they did not put any old chapter heading – they had Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Grace, age 7

I like this book because it has great illustrations and it is displayed like a diary. It has lots of different fonts and some of the words are slanted. I like the fact that it is related to some other books and films, such as The Wizard of Oz.

Leon, age 7

This book is about a girl called Dorothy Constance Mae Louise, who has a dog called McClusky – top dog detective. I would recommend the book because it’s fun and there are lots of cliffhangers. The illustrations are quite detailed and I liked the ones of McClusky.

Emily, age 7

Dotty Detective is about a girl called Dot and a dog called McClusky. I like that Dot is adventurous like me and is really good at solving problems and McClusky is really good at sniffing out clues. I would recommend this book to children who love mysteries, dogs and detectives.

A book about a secret squashbuckling pirate called Lil and her parrot called Carrot. The reader joins Lil on her adventures, stopping Stinkbeard, a mean and smelly pirate with a grubby beard. This books is perfect for ages six to eight, both boys and girls who enjoy adventures. I would recommend this book of rhyming tales because of the funny situations Lil gets into.

Owen, age 7

Swashbuckle Lil was amazing because it rhymed and was great to use expression. My favourite words were “Arr” and “Ahoy, me hearties”. The extremely funny illustrations were great – especially Stinkbeard, because he looked like a pile of mud shaped like a human with bugs in it. What a lovely book!

Millie, age 7

I liked the book because it rhymes and it makes you want to keep on reading. Also I liked the characters, especially Carrot the parrot, because he is a brave character. If you like pirates you will enjoy this book, and it’s also really funny. I would give it 4½ stars out of 5.

Archie, age 7

My first impression was that Lil is adventurous and is going to save people. I enjoyed how the parrot was called Carrot. Also I enjoyed how Lil was courageous and the book is exciting. Lil was very amazing at beating pirates that were bad. I liked the bit at the sports day where Lil scared Stinkbeard in the mud. I would like to read other Elli Woollard books.

Maisie, age 7

The Cat and the King – Nick Sharratt

Charlie, Hana, Grace, Owen and Dylan in Year 3 reviewed ‘The Cat and the King’ by Nick Sharratt.

The Cat and the King is a really funny but sometimes very silly story. My favourite character was the king, while he learns to do everyday things. It was a really good adventure as they got to learn about life in the city, and their neighbours had to learn how to deal with a dragon. I would give it five out of five.

Charlie, age 7

This book is awesome because the cat is really clever and the king is very strict (like most kings) but he is also very kind. If you get to read this book, make sure you read to the back of the book. I think this book is great

Hana, age 8

I enjoyed the book very much, particularly the part when the king sent a message to his new neighbours to invite them over for tea. They thought they would have to eat some really disgusting things, but it was actually cakes that the cat had made that were made to look like the things Mr Cromwell had said kings eat. It was well illustrated and kept me interested with lots of detail.

Grace, age 7

I liked the book, because it was funny. I also liked it when Mr and Mrs Cromwell threw Coca-Cola at the dragon. Also, I very much liked the pictures.

Owen, age 7

I really liked The Cat and the King because it is really funny and made me laugh. It has awesome illustrations all the way through the book.
My favourite character was the cat and I really enjoyed the bit when the king went on a motorbike.
I think people should read it because it is really good, really funny and really exciting.

Dylan, age 7

Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond – Sam Hearn

Archie, Katie, Edie and Izzy reviewed ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond’ by Sam Hearn an exciting new mystery series which will test the skills of aspiring young detectives.

I would give this book five stars! I enjoyed it because it was a mystery and also the fact it was written as a diary. My favourite character was Daz because he’s always losing things. The best part of the book is when they’re in a museum and the lights go out followed by the burglary of the Alpine Star diamond. There is nothing not to like about this book – it is ace!

Archie, age 10

Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond is a great page-turner! I love Sherlock Holmes’ mysterious character, who is always one step ahead of everyone else. The pictures are amazing, especially the shiny front cover. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping mystery.

Katie, age 10

I really enjoyed reading this book because of all the interesting ways that the author has used different styles of writing, which for me made it easy to read. The author managed to build suspense throughout the story, and you only discover what has happened to the Alpine Star diamond right at the very end. The illustrations are particularly helpful to help you understand what is going and what it is actually like in the museum. My favourite part of the book was when the three main characters (but not the dog) went rummaging in Martha’s attic to find things for their Victorian topic at school, because they found lots of interesting and peculiar antiques that belonged to the Victorian time, as the house was Victorian.I would recommend this book to both boys and girl aged 10 and over.

Edie, age 10

Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond was a great book. I liked it because of the layout and the illustrations, which made it easier and more interesting to read – it is a bit like a comic. The book builds up excellent suspense so you never know what is going to happen. My favourite character was Sherlock Holmes because he gives clues along the way. As a reader that makes me feel a bit like I’m going to solve the mystery, too!

Izzy, age 10

We are so proud of all our children for their fantastic work this term and we were delighted to be included in an article in the Tes Magazine of ‘2016’s best books for Children’ featuring reviews from Aidan, Alexander and Griff from Doves Class of a review they did earlier in the year of Tom McLaughlin’s ‘The Accidental Secret Agent.’ A huge thank you to all the parents for the support they have given to the children to completing the reviews.